Resumption of balloon flights in Luxor postponed

Ahram Online, Monday 1 Apr 2013

Following a deadly February crash, hot air balloon flights were originally scheduled to resume on 1 April; future passengers will be required to sign legal document acknowledging possible risks

balloon
An Egyptian inspector of the Civil Aviation Authority investigates the site of the balloon accident, in Luxor, Egypt (Photo: AP)

Hot air balloon flights in the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor, due to resume on Monday, have been postponed, Egypt state-owned paper Al-Ahram reported, citing a civil aviation ministry official.

The flights, suspended since a balloon crash killed 19 tourists on 26 February, will not resume for another few days while a civil aviation committee completes investigations into their safety, according to Mohamed Attia, head of the committee.

The resumption of the flights will exclude Sky Cruise, the company to which the crashed balloon belonged, as well as 25 balloons of the Ultramagic N425 model involved in the tragedy, added Attia.

In recent days, the committee has met with the owners of hot air balloon companies in Luxor and their employees, including pilots and technicians, to explain the safety procedures to be followed on future flights.

Future passengers will be required to sign a legal document acknowledging the possible risks involved in hot air balloon flying.

Short link: